J.P. Ricciardi

Marcum officially signed with the Mets on Wednesday and is healthy and ready to go. Mets special assistant J.P. Ricciardi drafted Marcum when he was Toronto’s GM back in 2003, and Marcum saw the Mets as a good fit for himself some 10 years later.

I am not promising a World Series or even a playoff appearance in 2013, but this team is on the rise and will make you proud in the coming years. And the first steps toward that journey will take place in 2013.

Terry Collins chased jobs all the way to Japan and China in the 11 years since he last managed a major league club just to find a place in a dugout. Rejuvenating the New York Mets, though, might be his toughest challenge of all.